


A Terror of Gales

by Aurya



Series: A Breath of Wilderness [7]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Female Link, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2020-12-31 21:26:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21152453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurya/pseuds/Aurya
Summary: In Divine Beast Vah Medoh, a Champion's spirit struggles...





	1. March to Rito Village

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are not WORDS to describe how sorry I am for taking so long. I am never making fun of Draco for an update drought again. I did Vah Ruta's chapter BACK IN 2017. They're doing pre-development advertising for a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild. It took me way too long to play Zelda again. Hylia damn it.
> 
> I really hope they don't have bonuses for having Breath of the Wild save data in the sequel because I'm playing on the Wii U and I highly doubt they're going to do the sequel the same honour when Breath of the Wild was the big-name Switch launch title.
> 
> Draco had started over his save file and hadn't gotten off the Plateau by the time I came back to it, so I started a new save to go through the tutorials again. Looks like the brown-coat black-mane, white-hooves, Agro-blaze horse ISN'T fixed to 4★ Strength, 3★ Speed, and 4★ Stamina.
> 
> Link's inventory at the start of this chapter [currently equipped]:  
-Soldier's Broadsword  
-Soldier's Broadsword  
-Soldier's Claymore  
-[Soldier's Spear]  
-Lightning Rod  
-[Knight's Bow]  
-[Arrow ×25]  
-Fire Arrow ×7  
-Ice Arrow ×1  
-Shock Arrow ×13  
-[Soldier's Shield]  
-Soldier's Shield  
-Kite Shield  
-[Champion's Tunic]  
-[Hylian Hood]  
-[Hylian Trousers]  
(assorted armour which varies depending on the order you are reading this series, and will not be relevant to this fic)

"_Leave me alone!_"

The Yiga footman reappeared in a flurry of marked papers - and quickly met the iron tip of a spear. The delay in the way that the Yiga vanished and returned had given her the opening she needed to whistle for Lugria; one quick mounting later, she had enough momentum to almost cleave off the deceiver's sickle hand, sending her flying.

As Lugria ground to a stop and reared, the Yiga decided she'd had enough; she vanished in another flurry, leaving a few Rupees and a bundle of bananas where she had stood.

With a sigh, Link dismounted her horse just long enough to collect the spoils and the combatant's weapon before remounting and continuing to ride; it was almost sundown, and her Sheikah Sensor was telling her there was a shrine nearby. Before she found the shrine; she came across a stable; one that had been set up before the bridge across a canyon. As she followed the road up to the stable (and discovered that it _wasn't_ oriented with its front counter to the road), she saw that she had come near enough to get a good look at what had given her reason to come here.

In the skies at Hyrule's east, she had seen something flying about - and a look through her scope had revealed it couldn't be a bird, for it was unnaturally stiff in its flight. Now she was near enough to make it out; it _was_ a bird, by one description, but it was also a stone structure like the Guardians that plagued Central Hyrule, soaring circles in the air on wings of carved rock... and if she strained her eyes, and kept the dark cloth of her hood between her and the sun, she could see the dark red glow of Malice-corrupted Sheikah technology.

"A Divine Beast," she murmured. "I'm getting close."

She made to bring Lugria towards the stable, deciding she ought to rest before trying to get any closer - and it was then that she got a good look at the canyon before her. This was an absolutely **massive** canyon, and the bridge had seen its fair share of wear and tear since its building. There were enough pits and gaps in the woodwork that made Link wonder whether the structure would still be up to hold travelers.

A long moment; then she decided she'd better follow her Slate to the shrine it was picking up before she tried to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Link found a couple travelers and a donkey were already on the bridge by the time she was in position to consider crossing; confident that the weight of the bridge would hold her and Lugria, she elected to cross, getting a tone from her Sheikah Sensor past the halfway point.

What she found on the other side made her wish she hadn't needed to.

The earth formed valleys on the other side of the bridge and those valleys had hidden the patrols that lay here. Guardians - not crawling demons like the ones in Central Hyrule, but menacing fliers on propellers that circled stone pillars throughout the valley. Link reared Lugria to a stop as she caught sight of them, cursing under her breath. "Wonderful," she muttered. "Freaking wonderful."

A bad encounter with one of the rusted Guardians in Necluda had taught her these things were perfectly capable of hearing something as loud as a whistle; she couldn't sneak her way through and call for Lugria between patrols. At least she didn't need to worry herself with figuring out the range of their view - these things had _lights_ coming from their eyes that she could safely assume was the full of their vision. (Had the hero of ten thousand years ago been fighting Calamity Ganon in the dark, or did the Sheikah just not think these things would fight anything smart enough to stay hidden?) However, their airborne position made things much harder than she needed it to be, and she didn't trust herself to see them coming from straight up.

She drew her Sheikah Slate off her belt and aimed it around, trying to find out where the nearest shrine was; it was up the cliff face to her left, far too sheer for her to think she could climb it. So much for taking a route around.

With a heavy sigh, Link tried to line herself up to see through, finding she had a clear enough view to find there were only two Guardians on patrol. She knew any horse could maneuver fast enough to dodge a Guardian's beam, but she still needed to be able to see the Guardian attacking.

A long moment of uncertainty; then she tapped at her Sheikah Slate, causing her Hylian Hood to vanish, before slipping it onto her belt again. "Okay, Lugria," she muttered. "Let's do this."

Proper timing did her a huge favour; she managed to ride through the valley at a gallop without either of the Guardians noticing her, and let out her breath once she was sure they were out of view of the corruption. Reequipping her hood once they were in the clear, she took a look around and found a tower rising up on a nearby peak.

"Shrine first," she contemplated, "or tower?"

* * *

Doing the Shrine first got her a fight with a Guardian Scout that was MUCH stronger than she needed to fight right now; after breaking a spear and a shield on her opponent much faster than she wanted to, she narrowly discovered her Sheikah Slate allowed her to teleport away without a fuss and resolved to come back once she had a stronger selection of armaments. Climbing towards the tower didn't prove much easier; Malice was congealed across the hillside, and the slope up towards the tower was littered with spot-skinned Bokoblins and Moblins, armed with Lizalfos spears and boomerangs, rusted armaments that still had some wicked cutting edges, and a claymore with the shiniest hilt she'd ever seen.

Said claymore survived the battle; swearing it was something out of the royal guard, Link elected to take it. With the sun having set, the tower's peak was high enough that she was shivering up here (leaving her to thank the goddess that she knew how to bind a sarashi tight enough that shivering was the only ill effect). With the Tabantha Frontier cleared on her map, she descended to mount Lugria once more, riding towards the Divine Beast once more.

She found herself on the edge of a lake surrounded by cliffs before she saw it - a community built around a pillar of rock, rising out the center of a lake at the foot of a mountain range. The top of the pillar had a protrusion that looked like a bird's perch... and the Divine Beast, shaped like a bird itself, was flying a circle directly above the lake.

"This must be the home of the Rito," Link realized.

Her gaze narrowed as she realized how wide the lake was - and that there was only access to the village from the eastern side.

"Of course, they can fly," she muttered, spurring Lugria to continue. "Why should they build land paths to cover _all_ the angles? Just one should do, a courtesy to visiting Hylians and Gorons; they just need to come to the village, right?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That pond around the Ridgeland Tower is hell. Voltaic hell.
> 
> Recap of my terms and conditions for this series:  
-All amiibo are forbidden, as are the contents of all EX Chests.  
-If Link falls asleep, in a bed, he must rest within the next 48 hours. If he sits by a campfire, he must rest within the next 24.  
-Upon first entry of a Divine Beast, weapon/shield/bow inventory must only consist of those which were designed by the race whose Champion piloted that Divine Beast (i.e. Zora equipment for Vah Ruta).  
-The game must be saved before entering a Divine Beast. Upon the acquisition of a Champion's weapon, the game must be loaded from that save. Once this has been done to each Divine Beast at least once, they are free to be properly completed.  
-The Master Sword must be drawn with no more than thirteen hearts.  
-The Horned Statue is a jackass and not to be spoken to.  
-Having a Great Fairy strengthen your garb qualifies as adultery, and Link is faithful.  
-The blood moon must not trigger. (Draco's trope snark: #SignatureStyle)


	2. The Rito Champion's Rival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The biggest advantage to not letting the blood moon trigger is that monsters don't get stronger. Silvers don't start appearing until you've killed a lot of enemies, and then they show up in the damnedest places. No respawns, no strengthens; you're fighting everything as it first appeared. It's also a lot easier to find the weakest monster to take a picture of.
> 
> The biggest disadvantage is that you can't just go to bed. You need to save first, because if you skip to morning and it turns out last night was the blood moon, you don't want to restart from your last autosave and lose twenty minutes of gameplay. The exemption to my resting rule is that if the blood moon triggers, I still need to bypass it; if I have to bypass it, can't do anything but warp and return to my resting point.
> 
> Link's inventory at the start of this chapter [currently equipped]:  
-Soldier's Broadsword  
-Soldier's Broadsword  
-Soldier's Claymore  
-Royal Claymore  
-Feathered Edge  
-Feathered Spear  
-[Knight's Bow]  
-Swallow Bow  
-Falcon Bow  
-[Arrow ×20]  
-Fire Arrow ×7  
-Ice Arrow ×1  
-Shock Arrow ×13  
-Kite Shield  
-[Champion's Tunic]  
-[Hylian Hood]  
-[Hylian Trousers]  
(assorted armour which varies depending on the order you are reading this series, and will not be relevant to this fic)

A Stone Talus on the path had broken through her shield and blunted the edge of her shiny new claymore, and a few Lizalfos in a short valley had taken a few hits each, but Link reached the stable at the base of Rito Village with a good pile of gemstones and a sword and spear that were so light she was certain the Rito had made them. She stabled Lugria and elected to rest by the fireside; the sun had risen and was halfway across the sky, but she'd been up all night and didn't trust herself not to come across as rude - and if they happened to have a really nice bed in the village, she didn't want to be too rested to accept the hospitality.

The next thing she knew, it was morning again (and she was getting a few worried looks from the stablehands). There were bridges between a series of stone pillars that led to the village (which explained the unidirectional land access); Link was halfway across, working out the soreness in her muscles, before she got a ping from her Sheikah Sensor that told her there was a shrine in the lake. She disabled the sensor to avoid it interrupting any conversations she might get into and resumed walking.

At the entrance to the village, she was interrupted by something far less benevolent.

A scream - nothing remotely vocal, but more like a tortured bird. It seemed to shake the whole lake, and Link's gaze went up to the Divine Beast above her as it screamed out again. One hand went up to her pointed ears; there was something in that scream that sounded... desperate. Like the Divine Beast was crying out for help.

When she started back towards the village, someone noticed her - a dark-feathered Rito with a spear. "Are you a traveler?" he inquired. "I'd like to show you around, but... now's not really a good time."

"Yeah," Link agreed. "You wanna tell me what's going on?"

The Rito turned his gaze skyward. "Did you see that thing? That's Divine Beast Vah Medoh. It showed up a while back. The Rito warriors who flew up to check it out were shot down. They say it used to be a divine being that protected the village, but it doesn't seem very divine to me." Then, turning back to Link; "Thankfully, the thing only shoots at anything flying high up above the village. But still... it is pretty demoralizing for us Rito to have to fly so low to the ground."

Link nodded. "I bet." Somewhere deep down, she knew - with a certainty that told her it had been rubbed in her face more than once - that the Rito prided themselves on their aerial dominance.

She gave the guard thanks and started into the village. The structure of the community was meant to facilitate Rito lifestyle; it looked like anything below the giant perch was safe, and the buildings were wound around the pillar. Reasoning that the leader of the village would most likely be at the highest building, Link proceeded to climb, and her attention was drawn to the buildings as she passed them. An inn was the nearest structure to the base; a general store was next, as though they were anticipating the needs of earthbound visitors and the facilities were ordered from the bottom according to priority. Then a clothing store; a sudden gale gave Link a chill, and her attention was drawn to a very warm-looking coat that she made a mental note to pick up on her way back down. The rest of the structures were residential homes; she found the shrine that had set off her Sheikah Sensor a little over halfway up, and near the top as a landing that seemed oddly familiar.

After a moment, she realized... that the patterns upon it were the same as on her paraglider. It must have been designed by the Rito; of course a flying people would best know how to give Hylians wings.

The topmost building was home to a Rito with the build of a Goron. He seemed to be dozing at first, but as Link stepped in, he sat upright. "Ah, a visitor," he greeted. "Welcome to..." He fell quiet for a moment, and Link refrained from speaking as he leaned forward; his gaze was on her belt. "Oh. OH! That object on your hip... Could it be..."

Link prepared herself for the question... and was promptly surprised when he set the matter aside.

"Forgive me. Where are my manners?" He set a wing on his chest. "I am Kaneli, elder of the Rito Village."

"I'm Link," she introduced.

"A pleasure," Kaneli returned. "Now then... is that not a Sheikah Slate dangling from your hip?"

A smile rose on Link's face; he _was_ going to ask about it, he just didn't want to be rude. "That's right," she confirmed.

Kaneli leaned forward in surprise. "Oh, my! So it is true! That means you must be a Champion like Master Revali - one of the few able to board Divine Beast Vah Medoh!" Link's expression fell in surprise, and she was about to ask how he was so certain when Kaneli's own expression changed. "No, what am I thinking? The Champions have all been dead for a hundred years... This girl must be a mere descendant - an inheritor of the Sheikah Slate."

Link breathed a sigh between clenched teeth, deciding not to tell him everything, before he spoke again. "Ah, forgive me. Champion descendant... If you would listen to this old bird's request, you would have my eternal gratitude."

"Yeah," Link replied. "Go for it."

"Thank you, truly," Kaneli praised. "Now that I know you have the blood of a Champion, there is something I must ask of you. How shall I put this... I would like you to deal with Divine Beast Vah Medoh. The giant beast circling above us. Only a chosen one, a Champion, can stop a Divine Beast. You must enter the beast and bend it to your will." He shook his head. "I tried explaining this to the more headstrong Rito warriors, but they wouldn't listen. Teba and Harth tried to confront Medoh, but it did not go well, and Harth was injured. Teba escaped unscathed, but I fear he now plans to face Medoh alone."

"Oh, no," Link feared.

Kaneli nodded. "As a descendant of the Champions," he observed, "perhaps you can help us. Please - find Teba. If you work together, you may be able to stop Divine Beast Vah Medoh."

"That sounds like a good idea," Link admitted. "I wouldn't like to try my chances getting high enough to board that thing on my own."

"I would recommend speaking to Teba's wife, Saki," Kaneli advised, beckoning to the next building. "She may know where Teba has gone to."

Link thanked the elder and started down the village; to her mild amusement, Saki was watching her as she approached. Link was torn between stepping up to ask her and heading down to the clothing shop first before Saki made to step out. "Um, pardon me, Champion descendant?"

"That's gonna take some getting used to," Link muttered.

Saki blinked. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Nothing," Link assured her. "What is it?"

"Forgive my intrusion," Saki pleaded, "but I overheard you speaking with the elder." Link wasn't surprised; the buildings around here were all open. "It sounds like you intend to help my husband Teba, in the fight against Medoh."

"Yeah," Link confirmed. "Any chance you could tell me where he went?"

Saki nodded. "Well, my husband went to a place called the Flight Range. It's in Dronoc's Pass at the base of the Hebra Mountains. It's a place where Rito warriors prepare for aerial combat. I imagine he's gone there to gather weapons for another run at Medoh."

"Sounds like a stubborn guy," Link observed.

"He is, somewhat," Saki admitted. "As it happens, he made his way to the Flight Range on foot this time." She beckoned to the landing Link had noticed on her way up. "If you take off from Revali's Landing, it's a straight shot down to the Flight Range."

Link blinked, her gaze going towards the . "I'm sorry, _what's_ Landing?

"Revali's Landing was named to honour the Rito Champion, Revali," Saki explained. "It was there we found his bow that horrible day..."

Her words trailed off sadly... and images flickered through Link's mind.

* * *

_"Good luck sealing the darkness!"_

* * *

"...escendant!"

Link was brought back to reality as her lungs drew in a sharp breath; Saki was looking at her most worriedly. "Descendant, are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah," Link insisted. "I-I'm fine..."

"My apologies," Saki pleaded. "I fear I have said far too much..."

"No, no, it's not your fault," Link insisted. "I just..." Her gaze went to the landing. "I was reminded of something... rather important." Then, turning to Saki; "You said the Flight Range was at the foot of the mountains?"

Saki nodded. "Yes- Oh, yes," she realized, "I suppose it will be a bit chilly for a Hylian in that area." She beckoned further down the village. "The clothing shop lower down has Hylian wear that serves very well for cold regions."

Link thanked her and started down the village. "Thought I was so clever, selling Rhoam's old doublet after I got off the Plateau," she muttered.

* * *

After a stop at the clothing shop, a visit to the shrine in the middle of the village, and... a night at the inn, after a failed glide north off Revali's Landing landed her in the icy drink, Link was on her way to the Flight Range, taking the long way around Lake Totori. The Snowquill series was a tunic and trousers ensemble lined with shed Rito feathers, and a headdress set with a ruby that gave off warmth; the Brazen Beak clerk had insisted any two pieces would be enough to keep a Hylian warm anywhere in Hyrule, but Link didn't want to try her luck at Medoh's altitude and sprung for the full set - selling the entire spoils of her Talus fight to afford it.

Ten seconds of the rubies warming her ears had made her put the hood back on until she got to the cold region.

Once she was properly rested, Link started to walk the land path to the Flight Range; she decided against riding Lugria, not wanting to leave him at the mountains for whatever liked the cold while she was flying above Rito Village. She regretted the decision halfway down the path, when she ran into a _Hinox_ \- the ensuing fight, which Link considered herself fortunate to survive, ate what was left of her gold-hilted claymore, three broadswords, a less-shiny claymore that was the first thing she tapped on the Sheikah Slate, and a halberd that she seized from the beast's neck; she failed to re-equip before she made it to the snowy area, where several Bokoblins on horses of their own forced her to fill them with arrows from a steel-bodied bow, and the bowstring snapped as she finished off the last one..

In hindsight, her panicked choice to _throw_ the broadswords at the big thing's eye instead of draw her bow _then_ probably didn't do the weapons' durability any favours.

She decided to go through a nearby shrine before she went to meet Teba, suspecting that an aggravated Champion 'descendant' meeting a Rito who wouldn't listen to reason probably wouldn't end well. Her head was much cooler as she stepped into the Flight Range; there was a lake in the bottom of a deep crevice that was experiencing some intense updrafts, with several archery targets along the cliffs and on a pillar in the middle of the area. A small structure lay at the end of the path around the lake, with a walkway providing a launch point into the updrafts; Link made her way up the ladder, finding a small cooking pot over a contained fire filling the building with warmth.

The floorboards creaking under her footsteps got her someone's attention; there was a Rito sitting on the balcony, with a bow in his hand. His feathers were largely of bright white, and he was dressed for the flexibility an archer needs; when he spoke, his voice creaked a bit with the first word to show how long he'd been out here on his own. "Yeah?"

"Hey," Link greeted. "This is the Flight Range, right?"

The Rito - Link assumed this was Teba - narrowed her gaze. "It is," he confirmed. "But I don't know you - and I'm kind of busy at the moment. You should probably go."

Link stepped towards him; he had a bow in his hand, and was pulling on the string experimentally. "I'm just here for the archery, actually," she feigned. "You don't mind if I have one go at the targets?"

Teba turned to her. "What does a Hylian want with the archery at the Flight Range?" he demanded.

"I've got a Rito..." Link drew her Sheikah Slate and tapped at its screen for a moment before she settled on "...'friend' who's always trying to show me up. A while back, he suggested we settle things one-on-one - archery was our middle ground, and he said Rito judge by _aerial_ archery skills." A bow appeared on her back; she didn't have any arms left but Rito-made weapons. "And this is where Rito test their aerial archery skills, right? Now that I've finally got the equipment I need to challenge him on that front and survive to get a proper judgement, I figure I should have a test run."

"Doesn't sound like much of a friend," Teba observed, turning back to his bow.

Link shook her head. "No, I suppose it doesn't," she admitted. Another tap on her slate caused her Hylian Hood to vanish as the Snowquill Headdress appeared; the rubies warming her ears were much more welcome in this updraft-y area. "Guess he wasn't much of a friend after all," she murmured.

Teba paused in mid-motion. "Sorry?"

"Never mind," Link insisted, putting her slate back on her belt and grabbing a couple bundles of arrows that were sitting on a nearby table. "Anyways, I was told I might run into a 'headstrong Rito warrior' here... but I figured, hey, all I'm gonna get is a sparring partner out of it."

"...You came here to test your archery," Teba demanded, "and you thought you'd have a _sparring partner_?"

Link winced at her poor choice of words. "Yeah, sorry, swordsman mentality. Not the word I'm thinking of."

Teba narrowed his gaze, getting to his feet. "What's your name, Hylian?"

"I'm Link." She stepped up to the edge of the takeoff, scanning the archery zone.

"Well, Link, I'm Teba," the Rito mused. "But you already knew that."

"Haven't had someone to bluff against for a while," Link admitted. "Maybe I'm getting kind of rusty." She turned to face Teba. "Look, I came to Rito Village, to help put a stop to Vah Medoh," she told him. "The elder told me that a few Rito warriors had already tried and failed to do the same - and one was arming himself to do it again. So I came out here - to lend you a hand."

Teba scoffed, his gaze falling. "Just like Kaneli to trust any old fool who walks into town..." He shook his head. "I'm not gonna judge you for wanting to help, but I'm not going anywhere until my people are safe. And that won't happen until that Divine Beast falls out of the sky."

Link shook her head. "What's so bad about having help?" she demanded. "If we're gonna stop Medoh, we need to get inside. Two attempts are better than one."

"I can't tell if you're reckless, or just have a death wish." Teba shook his head. "The only people who can enter the Divine Beasts are the five Champions of old. And unfortunately for us and the rest of Hyrule, we're on our hundredth year of mourning their deaths. You can go thank Ganon for that."

"I'm guess you don't get a lot of messengers out here," Link observed.

"I don't even get any other _archers_ out here these days," Teba countered. "What are you talking about?"

"Well," Link mused, drawing her bow, "I was telling the truth about the Rito jackass, and the aerial archery equipment..."

She leapt backwards off the takeoff zone, and Teba started as she descended. One target came into visibility, and she nocked an arrow; the world seemed to slow around her as she loosed it towards the bull's-eye, and she drew another and took aim at a second target before the first even broke the wood. A third arrow had been fired before she became acutely aware of how close the stone pillar behind her was coming; her hand slipped between the body and string of her weapon, throwing the bow over her shoulder as her paraglider appeared in her hands.

The updraft had a warmth to it that seemed to revitalize her, and as she lifted over the peak of the stone she let the paraglider vanish, firing another couple arrows at a few more targets beneath the hut before turning around to clear the other walls of the Flight Range. As she drew near the opposite wall, the paraglider reappeared in her grip to slow her fall; then she seized the wall just long enough to propel herself back towards the hut, lifting up in the updraft once she had her momentum. She shot clean the wall she'd leapt from, then fired at the targets that scattered the pillar; then she caught the wind just once more to make sure she was above the landing before she tried to land at Teba's side.

The Rito's gaze was wide, and his beak fell open.

"...and wanting to have a test run out here."

"That was... incredible," Teba praised. "It was like time stopped with every arrow you let fly." He shook his head. "You're... skilled. More skilled than I thought. I'm sorry for doubting you, Link - you're the real deal. You must have seen a battle or two."

Link sighed. "Hundreds," she confirmed. "So many I can't remember them all."

"I believe it," Teba confirmed. "Link..." He shook his head. "I feel like I've heard the name somewhere before."

"You gonna let me help you with Medoh, now?" she asked.

Teba smirked. "Yeah," he conceded. "I think I am."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I'm pretty sure the weapons lying around don't respawn until a blood moon, either. I know for a fact that merchants don't restock until a blood moon; I sold out every arrow vendor in Hyrule and all of Beedle's locations back when I was writing Uncaptured Memories. If you're gonna do a bloodless moon run, you'd better ration your supplies.


	3. Clipped Wings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got some theme naming going for the Divine Beast chapters, but I decided against making the titles of all the Chapters 3 into KH references. Stormfall is the only Keyblade I can think of that suits something as dramatic as a Divine Beast fight.
> 
> Link's inventory at the start of this chapter [currently equipped]:  
-Feathered Spear  
-Feathered Edge  
-Feathered Spear  
-Falcon Bow  
-[Swallow Bow]  
-Falcon Bow  
-Arrow ×22  
-Fire Arrow ×6  
-Ice Arrow ×1  
-Shock Arrow ×13  
-[Bomb Arrow ×20]  
-Kite Shield  
-Champion's Tunic  
-Hylian Hood  
-Hylian Trousers  
-[Snowquill Headdress]  
-[Snowquill Tunic]  
-[Snowquill Trousers]  
(assorted armour which varies depending on the order you are reading this series, and will not be relevant to this fic)

"Here. Careful with these."

Teba handed Link a few bundles of arrows from a cabinet in the Flight Range hut - except the heads were covered in explosives. "Okay..." Link murmured, seizing her Sheikah Slate and touching them carefully to the bundles before tapping at it to make sure they were safely in her quiver.

"Medoh's defended with cannons like the Guardians got," Teba explained. "Normal arrows won't put a dent in them - you'll need to hit them with bomb arrows." Then, raising a finger warningly; "They're a precious commodity, so that's all I've got."

"Fair," Link conceded.

"Also, it's gonna be cold up there," Teba warned. "Nothing earthbound in Hebra compares to the kind of cold at that altitude." Eyeing Link's ensemble; "I'm guessing that's why you sprung for the full Snowquill series?"

"More or less," Link confirmed. "The shopkeep said any two would be fine, but I didn't want to take my chances."

Teba shook his head. "That'll keep your hands moving, but you're still gonna be shivering the whole time. Don't say I didn't warn you. You sure you don't want to cook something spicy before you go?"

"I'll be fine," Link insisted. "What's the plan?"

"Diversion and assault," Teba replied. "I'll draw Medoh's fire so you'll have a chance to destroy its cannons. They're on the cardinal points, and they power a barrier that defends Medoh's main body; nothing's gonna go through that. Focus on the cannons - we'll talk next steps once that's done."

Link nodded. "Sounds good. Whenever you're ready."

"Alright," Teba conceded. "But let me ask you something - why are you doing this? Why risk your life to bring down Medoh?"

She could have told him everything - the Shrine of Resurrection, Princess Zelda's request, all of it. But what was driving her, right now, was something else entirely. "I can't... just watch," Link insisted. "The villagers are terrified - innocent people of no crime but having wings. I can't just watch them suffer and fear."

"Then imagine how I feel as a proud Rito warrior," Teba admitted. "That's fair enough."

There was a long moment of quiet in the Flight Range, with the only sound being the updrafts from behind them.

"...Right. Get on my back."

* * *

"Hylia's perky tits, it's freezing up here!"

Teba glanced back at her. "What did I tell you?"

"That's not a complaint," Link insisted, "that's concern. Are you gonna be okay flying in this?"

"Not gonna lie, even I feel like I'm gonna freeze up here," Teba admitted. "But I can fly just fine."

The sun was starting on its way down as they got closer to the Divine Beast; Link could feel the updrafts, and reckoned she'd have no trouble keeping at an altitude to fire at the cannons as long as she kept close to her target. A red glow wrapped Medoh as they got near, and she winced. "Malice does not believe in subtlety, does it," she muttered.

"You sure that's the Malice's fault?" Teba argued. Then; "Never mind. You see the cannons?"

"You sure you can fly fast enough to evade those things?" Link asked.

"As long as I'm not straight above or straight below, I can drop fast enough to stay away," Teba confirmed. "I'll draw their fire; once their attention is on me, blow 'em to Ganon. If something goes wrong, float straight up in the updraft and I'll collect you."

Link nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

"The barrier's impenetrable," Teba warned. "Don't try to shoot it, and _definitely_ don't touch it. Harth almost broke his wing on that thing."

"Duly noted," Link agreed. "Let's give it hell!"

Her paraglider appeared in her grip, and she shot off Teba's back as he dove down to draw the fire of the cannon on Medoh's left wing. Only after the cannon had fired - and the beam had blast in the air in a way that made Link hope Teba had dropped something - did she release her paraglider to drop into firing range; once she was near enough, she drew her bow, and as the propellors on Medoh's underwings slowed, she loosed one bomb arrow and then another, not wanting to risk a single shot being insufficient.

She was gliding again before they made contact; they blast into Medoh's cannon, one after another, and then it crumbled away, stone pieces scattering in the updraft as Link and Teba started to soar towards the cannon at Medoh's beak. Unfortunately, it had a decent shot at them before they got anywhere near; Link saw the red targeting beam appear on her shirt, and she promptly let herself drop as Teba soared ahead, drawing the cannon's attention. The first beam fired well between them, and Link resumed gliding as the cannon started to track the Rito warrior instead; it fired at him before she was in range to fire at it, and Link dropped to get close enough and loosed another pair of bomb arrows before arcing her glide to approach Medoh's right wing.

The foremost cannon shattered behind her, and this time their next target didn't have a lock on them before they approached. Teba flew into its firing range first, and as it tried to target him Link arrived at almost point-blank range; she let herself soar just high enough to minimize the risk of getting caught in her own blast before loosing a pair of bomb arrows at the cannon, and Teba didn't even need to evade before it started to crumble, leaving the two of them soaring towards the tail cannon. Link elected to soar over Medoh's barrier to minimize her time in the targeting zone - and promptly drifted into an odd pattern of gliding and dropping as she tried to keep herself from rising too high or dropping into the defense; Teba took the more direct route, but still buzzed so close to the barrier Link thought she saw it sparking under his talons.

Teba flew straight over the cannon.

Medoh made to aim at him.

And Link _landed_ upon its stone surface, firing at the tip of its barrel while she was standing on the cannon's brace and charging through the smoke before it cleared; she leapt off the cannon, turned in the air, and unleashed a shot at point-blank.

The resulting blast threw her back, but Link only righted herself and drew her paraglider - and to her relief, she saw the cannons sparking. After a moment, all four of their braces shattered, and Medoh's barrier fell away; Link directed her glide forward as the updrafts faded out, slowly descending towards the Divine Beast's tail.

"Well done, Link!" Teba praised. "That thing is history!"

There was a strain in his voice, and out the corner of her eye, Link saw his flight falter; she turned to find his leg had a nasty burn on him. "What happened?" she asked.

"Looks like I got hit pretty good back there," Teba admitted. "Damn what adrenaline makes you miss. I think..." He flapped his wings, trying to keep himself airborne. "I think I'm gonna have to head back to the Flight Range..." He shook his head. "I just hope that... I can make it back."

"Don't worry," Link insisted, "I got this!"

"Yeah," Teba groaned. "You head down to Medoh. Good luck!" He raised a thumbs-up to her. "It's all you!"

He soared off, and Link continued to descend, hoping he'd make a safe landing.

* * *

**Sheikah Slate authenticated. Travel gate registered to map.**

Medoh's tail was clearly intended as the general access point; there was a pedestal to recognize the Sheikah Slate, and a rather broad travel gate that lit up as Link was pulling away. As she hooked the Slate on her hip, a voice echoed around her - a rather smooth voice.

The Rito Champion's voice.

_"Well now... I've seen that face before."_

She turned to the entrance. "Revali."

_"I had a feeling you would show up eventually," _ Revali admitted. _"But making me wait a hundred years is a bit... indulgent. And look at you now - soaring in the air, showing off your archery, and not even having aged a day. Still as much of a show-off as ever."_

The Hylian Champion scoffed. "It's like you said," she observed. "I had no way of making it up to the Divine Beast on my own. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna let Medoh just suffer for it."

_"Oh, but I do wonder about that..."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The devs really thought Medoh's fight out. I don't know why, but it feels so natural to circle clockwise from the left wing, which puts you on the tail for the last shot.


	4. Scourge of Vah Medoh/Revali's Bluster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Medoh's left wing has a puzzle involving an open window, spherical Remote Bombs, and a funnel. First time Draco went through it, he took a good hard look at the puzzle... veered Medoh left, opened the window, JUMPED OUT the window, and paraglided back in. Then he saw the grooves in the floor, put the GamePad down, and facepalmed.
> 
> Link's inventory at the start of this chapter [currently equipped]:  
-[Feathered Spear]  
-Feathered Edge  
-Feathered Spear  
-Guardian Spear  
-[Falcon Bow]  
-Falcon Bow  
-[Arrow ×10]  
-Fire Arrow ×6  
-Ice Arrow ×11  
-Shock Arrow ×13  
-Bomb Arrow ×12  
-Champion's Tunic  
-Hylian Hood  
-Hylian Trousers  
-[Snowquill Headdress]  
-[Snowquill Tunic]  
-[Snowquill Trousers]  
(assorted armour which varies depending on the order you are reading this series, and will not be relevant to this fic)

Darkness.

The sun had well set by the time Link rose up to the back of Divine Beast Vah Medoh, intending to activate the main control unit - but the darkness that surrounded her was not the dark of night. This was a perverse darkness, that blot out not only the stars but the moon, in a way no overcast clouds could ever hide the light - a darkness that meant to threaten.

Standing before the control unit was a humanoid figure - but its body seemed to shift, and writhe, and _burn_ with an unholy fire.

**"The Rito people... They almost seem out of place. Lake, mountain, and desert have always been part of Hyrule. But the sky has not been the purview of mortals."**

It turned to face Link, and she saw lightless voids of white where its eyes should have been.

**"Not since the goddess came to earth."**

Medoh shook - not the movement of the Divine Beast, but a tremor caused by something else entirely. The being before Link dissipated into the air, and Malice began to swirl around the control unit; as Link charged forward, the light of Sheikah technology began to flow out of it. It gathered above the pedestal; and she raised her gaze to find some_thing_ manifesting in the sky.

A hollow base.

A clawed hand.

A twisted cannon.

And a broad face that glared at Link through a single, pale blue eye.

_"Good luck!"_ Revali proclaimed. _"That thing is one of Ganon's own, and it fights dirty. It defeated me one hundred years ago - but only because I was winging it."_

Link scoffed, pulling the Falcon Bow off her back and drawing an arrow. "We never did get around to finding out who was actually _better_ at archery, did we?" she observed. "The Calamity rose before we even had the chance."

The creature raised its cannon towards her, and Link raised her bow in return.

"How kind of Ganon to oblige us!"

A shot of light flew from that triple-barreled weapon; Link hoped aside, firing an arrow into its eye in return. Her opponent barely flinched, continuing to fire three more shots; Link fired four more arrows before it faded into light, soaring away. With a curse, she realized she didn't have the reserves of ammunition to face this with normal arrows; she fingered her Sheikah Slate, and the arrows in her quiver were replaced with her remaining bomb arrows. She quickly drew one as the Malice reappeared close to the ground, firing into its eye, that diverted its aim just long enough for her to charge forward, drawing her Feathered Spear and bombarding it with thrusts.

She got four blows out before it lashed its clawed hand forward - and a tornado shot out of the ground, throwing her back. She hit the ground rolling, only to find the creature had vanished, this time when it reappeared, she hurled her spear - already on its last legs - into its eye, stunning it long enough to her to tap her slate, draw a Feathered Edge and Kite Shield, and close the distance, landing a single hard swing on its side.

Her opponent vanished once again, moving back over the control unit; it swung its hands apart, and from its back emerged four spikes of Malice that proceeded to hover in the air around it. When it faded to light, the spikes remained, and Link watched them flying after it as it moved away and remanifested, cannon at the ready - whereupon the spikes opened up to reveal glowing petals.

_"Watch your blind spot!"_ Revali's voice commanded her.

"Who said I had one?" Link fired back.

She raised her bow as the satellites came to a pause, firing bomb arrows at each; when the smoke of a blast cleared, its target was gone, and the creature's attempt to fire at one and reflect it to her only had the shots soaring away. She promptly drew her sword and shield again as it made to fire at her directly this time; she sidestepped and fired another bomb arrow at its face, but it only vanished, soaring away and reappearing down Medoh's wing.

Her tactics were promptly quashed when its spikes re-extended, and she cursed under her breath as the satellites rose up again. A few taps on her slate gave her shock arrows instead, and she fired those at the Malice, making to stop him from firing at the reflectors; a few volleys got her confirmation as it vanished, descending to Medoh's back. Sword and shield were drawn again, and she lashed the blade at the creature's side a couple times before leaping around, leaving its tornado swings flying in the wrong direction. The satellites began to surround her as it made to fire again; she watched the shots fly between them, and when they started flying towards her she brought her shield into them hard enough to redirect them at her opponent, leaving it stunned.

She charged forward and brought her sword into the Malice, striking it once, twice, thrice before spinning around and hitting it hard enough to throw it to the ground. Its satellites flew low, and she swung at each of them, finding them tumbling in the direction she hit before blasting; she aimed the last one at the Calamity's head, and as it rose up she stepped back... into an updraft out of a vent on Medoh's wing.

Her paraglider appeared in her hands as the creature moved, and she rose into the air.

When it reappeared, she drew her bow, nocked a bomb arrow, and levelled it on her opponent's eye.

It flew and blast clean against the visual; when the smoke cleared, the Malice was struggling to keep its composure, claws closing into a fist and arms held before it in desperation. Link touched down on Medoh's back as light began to break out of its body from within, shining in every direction with such intensity that Link was forced to put the arms of her bow between her eyes and her opponent as it succumbed to a demise it had warranted one hundred years ago.

Once it had faded, she lowered the bow to find herself alone on Medoh's wings - with the rising sun washing over her.

The control unit had been bared; slowly, cautiously, Link approached it, drawing her Sheikah Slate from her hip. Cautious, uncertain, she set it against the Guidance Stone on the front of the unit - and it began to shine, slowly pulsing with a far more benevolent light.

"Well I'll be plucked... You defeated him, eh?"

The Hylian Champion turned; this voice sounded much more solid.

"Who'd have thought?"

Standing there was a Rito of blue feathers, wearing a scarf of goddess azure... and surrounded by spectral flames that stood out against the dark sky opposite the sunrise washing over Medoh.

"Revali..."

Link smirked, throwing her bow over her shoulder. "One who can fly... and one with a sword. Looks like we finally have a decisive answer on the area we both have experience with."

"Don't you _dare_ try to tell me you're a better archer after you broke a spear on that thing!" Revali objected, pointing at her accusingly. "We need a proper round at the Flight Range before we can call that a decision!"

She laughed as Revali shook his head, holding a wing out at his side. "I do suppose you've proven yourself as a warrior," he conceded. "But don't preen yourself just for doing your job. Now that you're the only Champion still up and running... you've got a lot of ground to cover."

Winds started to gather around Link's feet, drawing her attention; she didn't have time to react before a powerful gale swirled around her, throwing her skyward even without her paraglider to catch it. As she reached the peak of the lift, she realized she had a bit of unintended backwards momentum; she twisted into a flip as she descended, setting a hand against the surface beneath her before raising an accusing gaze to Revali.

"You sure you don't want to come and show me up?" she asked.

"Oh, how I'd love to," Revali admitted. "But it's time to move on, and start making preparations for Medoh's strike on Ganon. At least, if you still think you'll need my help while you're in Hyrule Castle?" He smirked. "Feel free to thank me now."

Link shrugged. "What difference is one missing beast going to make?"

"You're still an ass."

"You're still not allowed to put your wings on that one."

The rising sun began to dim over Medoh; Link's body was being pulled away, the Divine Beast bringing her to deliver the good news.

"The princess has been waiting awful long, don't you think?"


End file.
